American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 544 looks so familiar... Isn't this the Fellowship of the Ring?

"So what are we waiting for?!" Cairne Bloodhoof's roar echoed like thunder in the stone chamber as his massive fist slammed into the wooden table, causing the entire surface to groan in pain.

When a terrifying Tauren chieftain, capable of easily lifting two massive totem poles and causing earthquakes with a mere stomp of his foot, gets angry, the scene is absolutely horrifying.

Everyone present gripped their weapons tightly, fearing that the powerful minotaur might lose his mind.

But Thrall knew that Cairne wasn't that kind of irrational tauren. On the contrary, his wisdom was as profound as the earth itself, and his kindness was as warm as the sun. So the orc looked at him with confusion, not understanding why Cairne was so angry.

But this only shows that Thrall and Kane have not spent much time together. What he doesn't know is that as a warrior, Kane is always able to fight with incredible passion. Similarly, he also likes to observe the enemy in battle so that he can better understand the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.

Therefore, this Tauren chieftain understood even better the true nature of those terrifying enemies called Parademons: they were machines, made of chunks of flesh, steel, and blood, with the goal of killing all living beings.

They must be expelled!

The tauren chieftain continued his questioning, "We're wasting our time! Are we supposed to wait for them to summon monsters we can't even imagine, or for them to tear us apart one by one?"

His gaze swept over Malfurion and Tyrande, a mixture of bewilderment and anger in his eyes. "My brothers and sisters, when did you become so cowardly? Are we now to surrender the Holy Mountain and pray that these butchers, who treat life like dirt, will be content with a mere piece of land?"

Thrall picked up the conversation. Although he didn't understand why Cairne was so angry, he felt that his new friend was right: "Ceding Mount Hyjal is not peace, but compromise. Negotiating with those terrible, mindless monsters is like discussing the dinner menu with hungry jackals."

The orc stood up. "We must attack. Before their portal brings greater disaster, while we still have a chance. The warriors of the Horde never fear fighting for survival in dire straits. This is not recklessness; it is the only logic of survival."

We must retake Mount Hyjal and close that gate!

Malfurion remained silent.

He knew these people were right. Nature was being desecrated, and the power of the World Tree was being constantly drained. It was already severely injured by the soul explosion that defeated Archimonde, and now its power was being absorbed. In a while, Nordrassil would probably be truly beyond saving.

"A reckless attack could lead to the complete destruction of Nordrassil, an irreparable blow to the entire planet. We must be cautious!"

Tyrande grasped her partner's hand, her thoughts simple: "We night elves, and your Horde and Alliance—almost everyone bled to death in that battle against the demons and parademons, and now you talk about attacking as if it were a hunt? But to me, you're committing suicide!"

"If you have no strategy and dare to fight those terrible things with just your courage—" Tyrande's lips curled down disapprovingly, "I'm sorry, I cannot throw the last remaining people of the Night Elves into a war they have no chance of winning."

Jaina took a deep breath. "Sometimes, temporary retreat isn't cowardice, but rather a way to conserve strength and find a real opportunity. What we need now is time. We need to find their weaknesses, study their armor, and wait for reinforcements—"

Will reinforcements really come?

Diana, who had just escaped from the Scourge of Lordaeron, was unaware of this, but she had indeed asked her father for help.

Kul Tiran Admiral Daelin Proudmoore possesses the most powerful naval fleet on the continent of Azeroth, and he may become the strongest ally of the Alliance of Azeroth.

Her only worry was her father's attitude towards the orcs. Her brother, the eldest son of House Proudmoore, had died during the Second Orc War, a battle that should have been a crushing naval victory, until the arrival of the Dragonmaw Clan's red dragon riders—

Without a doubt, Daelin hated those green-skinned orc bastards.

The meeting immediately reached a stalemate, as Thrall was unable to refute Malfurion and Tyrande's words.

Parademons not only possess powerful physical attributes, but also unique magical abilities. This means that each of them is an elite soldier skilled in both combat and magic. Although they are outnumbered, each Parademon requires several warriors to deal with.

Thrall trusted his advisor Vol'jin, and he knew very well that the enemy's current stagnation was merely the calm before the storm.

Kane was disappointed in the Night Elves, seeing it as a betrayal of the sacrifices of their allies and an evasion of their responsibilities to the world.

Malfurion and Tyrande, however, felt that the Horde members were simply insane. They believed that the monsters were clearly beyond their ability to fight, and that forcing a war without understanding the situation would be irresponsible to their allies. They could not allow the Alliance of Azeroth to be dragged into an abyss of certain defeat by a few pro-war factions.

Only when the commotion subsided did Vol'jin finally step forward, and all eyes were once again on him. He emerged from the shadows and walked to the table, his withered fingers pointing to the location of Mount Hyjal on the map.

"Those horrible creatures lurk there, sucking life from the world like a malignant tumor. We cannot deny that an attack could bring destruction. But we also cannot deny that waiting will almost certainly lead to a worse outcome—an 'reinforcement' that we know nothing about, but certainly cannot handle."

The troll surveyed the crowd and proposed a compromise, albeit a dangerous, solution: "Perhaps what we need is not a full-scale attack, but rather—a precise reconnaissance mission. We can assemble a elite squad, not to seek victory, but to infiltrate Mount Hyjal."

"They have two missions: first, to find out what's behind the portal; and second, if possible, to try to destroy the device that draws energy from the World Tree, or at least obtain information about it."

"You're sending those squad members to their deaths!" Tyrande said bluntly.

"So we need to buy time for this squad, friends," Wojnarowski said softly, looking around the room. "We need to draw the attention of those hordes of terrifying creatures. We need a—seemingly grand—feint."

The proposal was quickly approved, but even with the Alliance army of Azeroth drawing the attention of the Parademons, the situation facing the squad was still dangerous enough. So the question was, how should the members of this squad be selected?

"I'll go!" Jaina immediately declared. "This squad can't be without a mage!"

"No, you have heavy burdens to bear, but I don't. Over the past millennia, Tyrande has proven herself capable of protecting the night elves, and I am a druid, naturally skilled in disguise—"

Malfurion closed his eyes and said calmly, "It is most appropriate for me to go."

But other leaders wouldn't agree.

Just as the room erupted in noise again, a night elf hurriedly approached Malfurion and whispered a few words, which made the legendary druid frown.

"A powerful and mysterious dark mage?"